Men accused of abducting women for prostitution in Henrico

HENRICO, VA (WWBT) -

Two men are in jail accused of abducting two women and bringing them to Henrico's West End to work as prostitutes. Omar Ramadan Shareef and Tremayne Ronta Kirby have been charged with abduction for prostitution.

They were arrested October 25 at the Baymont Inn and Suites on West Broad Street and were in court Friday, where the judge denied bond.

It's the latest human trafficking arrest on West Broad Street, which according to prosecutors, has become a corridor riddled with forced prostitution.

According to the investigation, Henrico Police believe Shareef and Kirby are pimps who forced two women from North Carolina into prostitution then made to hand over their earnings.

Baymont Inn manager Robert Cullum says, his is one of several hotels trained by law enforcement to spot possible sex workers.

He says, he looks for people without a lot of luggage, or he'll plug names into www.backpage.com to see if the names are listed in the adult services section. The training worked and a Baymont employee called police, according to Cullum.

As part of the ongoing investigation, the Commonwealth's Attorney and police believe the two men are part of a larger human trafficking ring. Shareef and Kirby may have more women under their control, including children.

Sara Pomeroy is with the Richmond Justice Initiative. She believes, the arrests saved lives.

"The reason why they were caught is the Henrico Police Department and even its chief has taken a personal passion about this issue of human trafficking," she said.

And it is an issue. The Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in Henrico says, he prosecutes about five or six human trafficking cases each month.

Shareef and Kirby will both be in court for their preliminary hearing November 18.